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.‘Come with me,’ Philokles said.He didn’t say a word as they walked through the camp, until they came to a third troop mess where Theron sat stirring fish stew.Theron looked at Satyrus and then looked away.‘Well?’ Philokles asked.Satyrus hung his head.‘Master Theron, I come to beg your forgiveness for my bad behaviour.’Theron nodded.‘Lad, I am going to offer you the same choice that a tutor once offered me.I know that your actions, and your sister’s, saved lives.I also know that the gods must have worked extra hard to save you from death, and that I gave a year of my life in worry.You understand, boy?’‘Yes, Master Theron.’‘Good.Here is your choice.A beating, now, or I leave your service.’ Theron stood up.He was very large.Satyrus didn’t hesitate.‘I’ll have the beating,’ he said, head up.Both men nodded, obviously pleased.Theron had a switch, cut from poplar.He hit Satyrus ten times.It wasn’t a particularly savage beating - Satyrus had had worse from Philokles - but neither was it symbolic.It hurt, and then it was over.Afterwards, he lay down on his blankets - face down, because his whole back hurt - and Melitta cried a little.‘Why don’t they beat me?’ she said.‘It was my idea!’Satyrus laughed through a sob.‘You’re a girl,’ he said.‘Stupid Greeks,’ she said.After a while, Theron came and massaged his back, and helped the twins put a pair of cavalry javelins up like an X with a third for a tent pole.‘You were both very brave today,’ Theron said.Despite the pain in his back, Satyrus went to sleep with a smile on his face.14In the morning, Satyrus was so stiff that he could only rise to his feet by grasping the pole of his impromptu tent, and even that caused his stomach muscles to protest.But he rose when ordered, stumbled out into the near dark and found his beautiful new horse.He made sure she was fed and walked her all the way back to the gully with the watering party before he got a handful of dried figs from his sister and a slice of honey cake from Sappho for breakfast.Melitta was astride Bion, eating her breakfast in the saddle, and casting a great many glances at the small tent where Banugul lay.He repicketed his horse and sat with Hama and Dercorix to eat, sharing the honey cake with an appreciative audience.‘You have to pay Apollodorus for that horse,’ Hama said.‘Or give it back and we’ll find you a remount.’Satyrus rubbed his chin, which felt weirdly itchy.‘I don’t have any money,’ he said.Melitta came and sat with her back to his, handing out dates.‘We’re not poor, brother.Diodorus will give you money.’‘That beast’s worth a talent of silver,’ Hama said.‘Poseidon!’ Satyrus said.‘Really?’‘She’s wearing a dozen mina of silver on her harness, boy.’ He was watching something.‘There’s trouble,’ Hama said, pointing a tattooed arm at a clump of Saka sitting on their ponies across the gully.Two of them turned and rode away in a spurt of dust.‘Now?’ Satyrus asked Hama.He looked around.‘Don’t we need to do something about the Saka?’The Keltoi man nodded.‘Not really, lord.No one wants more killing right now - and they have had a taste of bronze from our pickets.Now, no time like the present.Just acknowledge the debt, lad.That’ll be enough.’Satyrus wiped his sticky hands on his sister’s barbarian trousers, arousing her indignation, but he skipped out of range and trotted off.She didn’t follow, because Herakles came out of his mother’s tent, wearing a shining white chiton and a diadem of gold.Most of the hippeis had camped in the same order that they rode, so each file became a mess and sat around their own fire.Apollodorus was in third file of first troop.Satyrus found him drinking camomile tea.‘Is a talent fair?’ Satyrus asked, walking up.All the men in the mess group stood, as if he was an officer.Apollodorus frowned.‘A talent of silver, lord?’ He couldn’t hold the frown.‘That’ll have to do!’‘Herald coming in,’ another trooper said, shovelling barley-porridge into a bowl.‘Can’t be good news.’ He handed the bowl to Satyrus.‘Barley, lad?’It was full of honey, and Satyrus ate the whole bowl with more appetite than he thought he had, while the herald dismounted and exchanged words with Andronicus beyond the wagon laager.‘Clean your bowl, lord?’ a woman asked.The camp was almost besieged by women - not their own women, who were inside the laager, but hundreds of hungry refugees from yesterday’s disaster, begging food for their children.Grim-faced pickets kept them outside the wagons, but many of the troopers handed out their scraps.A few single men simply walked out of the gate and chose companions.They and their children changed status instantly, coming in past the pickets [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.‘Come with me,’ Philokles said.He didn’t say a word as they walked through the camp, until they came to a third troop mess where Theron sat stirring fish stew.Theron looked at Satyrus and then looked away.‘Well?’ Philokles asked.Satyrus hung his head.‘Master Theron, I come to beg your forgiveness for my bad behaviour.’Theron nodded.‘Lad, I am going to offer you the same choice that a tutor once offered me.I know that your actions, and your sister’s, saved lives.I also know that the gods must have worked extra hard to save you from death, and that I gave a year of my life in worry.You understand, boy?’‘Yes, Master Theron.’‘Good.Here is your choice.A beating, now, or I leave your service.’ Theron stood up.He was very large.Satyrus didn’t hesitate.‘I’ll have the beating,’ he said, head up.Both men nodded, obviously pleased.Theron had a switch, cut from poplar.He hit Satyrus ten times.It wasn’t a particularly savage beating - Satyrus had had worse from Philokles - but neither was it symbolic.It hurt, and then it was over.Afterwards, he lay down on his blankets - face down, because his whole back hurt - and Melitta cried a little.‘Why don’t they beat me?’ she said.‘It was my idea!’Satyrus laughed through a sob.‘You’re a girl,’ he said.‘Stupid Greeks,’ she said.After a while, Theron came and massaged his back, and helped the twins put a pair of cavalry javelins up like an X with a third for a tent pole.‘You were both very brave today,’ Theron said.Despite the pain in his back, Satyrus went to sleep with a smile on his face.14In the morning, Satyrus was so stiff that he could only rise to his feet by grasping the pole of his impromptu tent, and even that caused his stomach muscles to protest.But he rose when ordered, stumbled out into the near dark and found his beautiful new horse.He made sure she was fed and walked her all the way back to the gully with the watering party before he got a handful of dried figs from his sister and a slice of honey cake from Sappho for breakfast.Melitta was astride Bion, eating her breakfast in the saddle, and casting a great many glances at the small tent where Banugul lay.He repicketed his horse and sat with Hama and Dercorix to eat, sharing the honey cake with an appreciative audience.‘You have to pay Apollodorus for that horse,’ Hama said.‘Or give it back and we’ll find you a remount.’Satyrus rubbed his chin, which felt weirdly itchy.‘I don’t have any money,’ he said.Melitta came and sat with her back to his, handing out dates.‘We’re not poor, brother.Diodorus will give you money.’‘That beast’s worth a talent of silver,’ Hama said.‘Poseidon!’ Satyrus said.‘Really?’‘She’s wearing a dozen mina of silver on her harness, boy.’ He was watching something.‘There’s trouble,’ Hama said, pointing a tattooed arm at a clump of Saka sitting on their ponies across the gully.Two of them turned and rode away in a spurt of dust.‘Now?’ Satyrus asked Hama.He looked around.‘Don’t we need to do something about the Saka?’The Keltoi man nodded.‘Not really, lord.No one wants more killing right now - and they have had a taste of bronze from our pickets.Now, no time like the present.Just acknowledge the debt, lad.That’ll be enough.’Satyrus wiped his sticky hands on his sister’s barbarian trousers, arousing her indignation, but he skipped out of range and trotted off.She didn’t follow, because Herakles came out of his mother’s tent, wearing a shining white chiton and a diadem of gold.Most of the hippeis had camped in the same order that they rode, so each file became a mess and sat around their own fire.Apollodorus was in third file of first troop.Satyrus found him drinking camomile tea.‘Is a talent fair?’ Satyrus asked, walking up.All the men in the mess group stood, as if he was an officer.Apollodorus frowned.‘A talent of silver, lord?’ He couldn’t hold the frown.‘That’ll have to do!’‘Herald coming in,’ another trooper said, shovelling barley-porridge into a bowl.‘Can’t be good news.’ He handed the bowl to Satyrus.‘Barley, lad?’It was full of honey, and Satyrus ate the whole bowl with more appetite than he thought he had, while the herald dismounted and exchanged words with Andronicus beyond the wagon laager.‘Clean your bowl, lord?’ a woman asked.The camp was almost besieged by women - not their own women, who were inside the laager, but hundreds of hungry refugees from yesterday’s disaster, begging food for their children.Grim-faced pickets kept them outside the wagons, but many of the troopers handed out their scraps.A few single men simply walked out of the gate and chose companions.They and their children changed status instantly, coming in past the pickets [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]